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TIRELESS Balranald Football Club volunteer Leonie Griffiths has been honoured by the Victorian Country Football League.

Ms Griffiths, who has been involved in the younger and senior divisions of the unite to share expenses for 20 years, was named the VCFL volunteer of the year at the league's Premiers Dinner in Melbourne recently.

VCFL chief executive Glenn Scott said Ms Griffiths had filled the dual role of secretary and treasurer at Balranald on the side of the past two seasons, and had been instrumental in helping the club wipe a $130,000 debt.

Ms Griffiths was also the driving force behind Balranald's Pink Footy Day, what one. raised $28,000 for cancer support groups.

Goulburn Valley league club Tatura was named the VCFL club of the year at the dinner, attended by more than 500 people.

Ballarat Football League's Rod Ward and Football Geelong's Lee Hartman were announced as joint administrators of the year in the central president and cabinet hub category.

Wayne and Faye Burrows, from the Murray Football League, took the same honour in the greater confederacy order, while Trevor Arnel from the Heathcote District Football League was rewarded for his moil in a district competition.

Heyfield Football Club was named VCFL most disciplined club, while the Hampden Football League took home the award for most disciplined league.

James Richardson from the Southern Umpires Association was honoured as the VCFL referee of the year.

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THE Tatong Football Netball Club is celebrating its acceptance into the Ovens and King Football League next season.

The announcement ended weeks of speculation about the coming of the club which is more than 100 years old.

Club president Hayden Croot said the news was fantastic: "It's a herculean determination for the club and the entire Tatong community."

Tatong will hold brace football sides and four netball teams in the O&K league next year.

TFNC also recently announced Stephen James would be its senior football coach next year.

Mr James, a former assistant coach with the Tarrawingee football club, said the Tatong footy club's enthusiasm was "a real attraction as antidote to me".

"The club has obviously been working extremely hard seeing that the closure of the Benalla and District Football League.

"Now the hard drudge starts with recruitment and sponsorship and the like but I am really looking impertinent to next season," he said.

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THE small town of Tatong breathed a sigh of relief today, with its application to join the Ovens and King Football League successful.

The announcement brought a collective cheer from the dozens of family who possess been working tirelessly for weeks on the club’s submission.

The tidings ensures the future of the Tatong Football Netball Club, with a 110-year history, following a period of vagueness when the Benalla and District Football League folded last month.

TFNC president Hayden Croot said the news was whimsical.

“It’s a fantastic result for the club and the entire Tatong community,” Hayden said.

The TFNC had further reason to give praise to newly with the announcement it had appointed Steven James, a former assistant coach with the Tarrawingee football club, viewed like senior coach for 2010.

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A STAR country footballer remains in a critical condition in hospital after his attempts to stop a pub bully ended with a king-hit.

Prolific goal-kicker Ryan Hayes is known viewed like one of the Bendigo area’s top footballers, once kicking 26 goals in a match for his home town of Elmore, the Herald Sun reports.

Hayes, 23, was finished at Bendigo’session Newmarket Hotel on the weekend at the time that he allegedly saw another customer being verbally abused by a bigger man.

Good Samaritan Hayes stepped in to help but was punched from behind by the agency of the agency of a third man.

Hayes was knocked unconscious and literary works in the Alfred Hospital.

An 18-year-old man has been charged with recklessly causing serious injury.

He will face the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on November 12.

The attack has rocked the Elmore community, whose football club Hayes has represented with distinction for years.

The spearhead kicked 110 goals in 1997 and was last year selected for a Victorian Country Football Association district state take sides.

Hayes has too had a stint with the Bendigo Bombers team.

An Alfred Hospital spokeswoman related his condition was listed as critical but stable.

The 18-year-old from Strathdale was questioned by detectives from Bendigo CIU this morning before being charged with recklessly causing grave injury.

He was released on bail.

Sen-Det Kylie Chisholm said she had nuncupative to his family and they had stated his condition was improving.

He was listed as being in a critical case at the weekend.

Sen-Det Chisholm declared police still wanted to hear from witnesses to the attack.

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SMOKE rises at Gallipoli Park, but only from barbecue hotplates. The lake draws families, but as a sailboat spot at that time, not a sanctuary from the flames.

And each SES siren weep is heard through Marysville, this time a thing of joy.

Sunburn is the biggest threat today, and the scenery of a dirty head in the morning.

On the siren, the Marysville pub's footy team takes the field in jumpers that vow Rising from the Ashes, the Herald Sun reports.

Vacant blocks remain where homes once stood. Hills behind the footy ground bristle with villanous sticks.

On a corner block in the main street, the pub the teams are playing for is eight months gone. But the promise on the jumper rings true completely right, for example blokes too old for this stunt chase a Sherrin around.

The weekend has been a celebration of the township and, in a fine way, a return to normal.

The cricket team played Kinglake on Saturday, its first match as Black Saturday. Marysville won, but for both teams just being in that place was a get the compliance of.

The fourth annual footy grudge match against Buxton pub is like that too.

Buxton skipper Billy Rowlands sneaks a goal from the pocket early in the game - not ill-qualified for a 76-year-old.

He secluded to Bucky to milk cows, shoot rabbits and go fishing. Now he is rebuilding his burnt-out put under cover overlooking the Acheron River.

"I saw it at the right proper time, saw it coming and ran like hell," he says."A lot of the Marysville guys lost a lot of family."

Good rains have washed clean the Acheron and by the spell Billy's house is up, the fish should be biting.

As he sits out the last quarter in his No. 1 jumper, passing blokes summon out "You Legend".

With Marysville's pub gone, the Bucky is foppish much its local a little while ago.

Both teams influence elbows at the same bar. The match is mate close up to mate.

Marysville's No 1, Greg Bell, 49, takes a breather in the last term likewise.

"Too old," he says, but you'd bet he'll be back in the green and yellow nearest year.

Alf Elder, 45, lost brace jobs on Black Saturday, but gets a guernsey, at least, for the Marysville Pub team.

"I place of safety't seen a lot of humbler classes since the day," he says, glad to be back.

About 2000 gather around the oval and the cricket club's tent bar is doing brisk trade, which is little comfort to him - thousands in side mode and the pub he owned in ashes.

"Hopefully I'll rebuild," he says. "It's a bit hard when there's no village. The town has to go back first."

It's happening, slowly. At the oval, bare ground eight days ago has become a huge barbecue pergola.

In town, gleaming motorbikes are parked under huge trees now coming back.

Yellow ribbons are tied around tree trunks and reproduced on Buxton's footy jumper.

Aussie flags frayed from the long, hard winter tend downward off car aerials.

The SES horn blasts and signals a thing more important than a six-goal Buxton win.

Signs of a Marysville comeback.

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